Making banana peel water is a great way to get a dose of potassium in your crops soil.. This homemade fertilizer supplement for your plants…this is the latest gardening hack I’ve read about and I wanted to try it for myself.
Bananas are a great source of potassium, which is one of the essential nutrients needed for soil to be richer and more fertile. Since I do eat a banana on the regular, I started saving my peels. Why not, they’re compostable, and this is practically an almost free way to enrich your plant soil.
It is not a total solution or substitute for fertilizer, but nevertheless it is a good way to use up some of your food scraps and help out your plants at the same time.Sometimes I will peel a banana cut it in half and freeze it…frozen bananas are dee-lish if you know how to use them. Then I start collecting the peels to turn them into compost tea for my plants.
Here’s how I did it:
I saved my peels and cut them up in small pieces. I did not include the stems or those little stringy things found inside the peels (i don’t know what they’re called.) Also that little piece in the bottom that’s inedible, don’t include that part.
When I got about three to five peels cut up (about 1″ pieces) I put them in a container with a lid (this one held juice), then I filled it up with water and put it in a cool, dark place away from sunlight. Note: do not fill up the jar or container all the way. When I checked on it a week later, the container looked bloated due to outgassing, so I poured off some of the water. So be sure to fill the jar half-full.
Periodically, shake the bottle gently. so they get mixed. The peels you may notice all float to the top at first, but as fermentation occurs, they will start to drop. Leave the container in the designated place for about three weeks to let it continue to ferment properly.
Here’s the final result after the three weeks were up….
Notice that as the mixture settles, it expands. I was worried at first that it was going to stink when I removed the cap. To my surprise, it did not. It shouldn’t if you do it the way I did.
I have a separate cap that fits this bottle, in which I drilled a few holes to I could use it as a sprinkler can.
You can also strain the liquid and remove the peels, since all the “goodies” have been leached out in the process.I just used the sprinkler cap to apply the solution to my crops.
So which kinds of plants benefit the most from banana peel water?
Good question.
Well most do to some extent, but better yet, banana water is great for tomato plants, it could prevent or minimize blossom end rot, it may be too early to tell in my case, but so far I have picked around 6-7 medium-sized tomatoes and a lot of cherries and i haven’t seen any with bottom rot. The day is young, but we shall see.
Also, peppers, some flowering plants like roses and orchids, air plants, and succulents. banana water is rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, all of which plants benefit.. Even those that don’t benefit, it is entirely safe for them, although if it’s important to you, you may want to check that your bananas are organic first.
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The Myths About Banana Water
And now, to dispel the myths…Is it a great source of potassium? And the only fertilizer you need?
Well, yes, and no. The compost tea I shared with you here does contain the four major nutrients I mentioned earlier, but you should not rely on it alone as a fertilizer. Plant types that have low fertilizer needs (including houseplants) may do just fine with this mixture.
Plants in containers may respond the most favorably, as it is easier to determine the right amount. I dispensed it the other day for my bucket-bound peppers and tomatoes. . A liter is probably not going to be near enough for the beds (especially since I’m not eating bananas THAT often…)
How often to give to plants?
I would give them a dose once a week. I’ve got another batch in the making I’m waiting on in the pantry to fully brew.
And finally…Don’t forget to diversify, make use of compost and other fertilizers, too.
Have you ever used banana peel water as a homemade plant fertilizer? How did it work for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
